PulpHope: The Art Of Paul Pope

PulpHope: The Art of Paul Pope #1

by Paul Pope

The first retrospective monograph from the Comic Destroyer, Paul Pope. Containing many unseen pieces of art and comics from the creator who has brought us THB, Heavy Liquid and 100%.

Genres: Comics, Art, Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Art Design, Biography, Memoir

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2007

About the author

PAUL POPE is an American cartoonist living and working in New York City. Pope has made a name for himself internationally as an artist and designer. He has been working primarily in comics since the early '90s, but has also done a number of projects with Italian fashion label Diesel Industries and, in the US, with DKNY. His media clients include LucasArts, Paramount Pictures, Cartoon Network, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Conde-Naste, Kodansha (Japan), Sapporo (Japan), Marc Ecko, Dargaud Editions (France), EMI Canada, Warner Brothers, and The British Film Institute. His iconic Batman: Year 100, a science fiction take on the classic Batman origin tale, has won numerous awards, seen print in many languages, and appears frequently on many Top 10 Batman story lists. In 2010, Pope was recognized as a Master Artist by the American Council Of The Arts, and is currently sitting on the ACA advisory board. His 2010, short science fiction comic strip Strange Adventures (DC Comics)--an homage to the Flash Gordon serials of the '30s-- won the coveted National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award for Best Comic Book of the year. He has won 5 Eisners to date.

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can stare at this book for hours. The essays are insightful although often a bit over my head. Not in a good way, in a "I'm-not-connecting-with-the-writer" sort of way. But that shouldn't take away from this monumental work - Paul Pope is one of the world's exceptional illustrators and it's so easy to get lost in this incredible art book. Every time I opened it I'd read an essay and then admire every page of art. It's impossible not to.

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

Pulphope is the title of the book, which is actually printed inside page 1.

Pulphope is actually a collection of freelance comics, illustrations and essays from Paul Pope. His comic strokes and inking are very unique, and sometimes chaotic. Do note that there are some explicit nudity in the book.

You can check out more of his art on his blog, which is also named Pulphope.

The gem of the book is probably the essays. Written in first person, Paul Pope talks about his life and career. Every piece talks about a particular subject. For example, one will talk about his preferred workflow, which is to work non-stop for three days except to eat and sleep, then take a day off. Another piece will be about the first time he saw manga and the influence it had on his work. There are a few essays scattered throughout the book that makes for interesting read.

This book should easily appeal to Paul Pope fans.

This review was first published on parkablogs.com. There are more pictures and videos on my blog.

[Garrett Zecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully conceived and well-produced retrospective on the art and life of the iconic alternative comics artist Paul Pope. Huge, full=page plates focusing on details, errata, and professional work are organized thematically. Each section presents an essay that at times examine his history, his move up through his career, a failed collaboration with Suicide Girls, but also delve into the metaphysics of creating art, the act of sex and pornography, the elusive path to inspiration, the importance of artistic practice, and what it all means.

I have enjoyed Pope’s work for some time – surprisingly never including Batman which he is most widely known for... But I was surprised to learn about his long career (and explanation of) in Japan producing successful manga for a variety of publishers and advertisers.

This book reminded me of those gallery-catalog books that are produced when a major artist’s work gets a major traveling exhibit. It is an exceptionally curated and printed compendium of his career, and I enjoyed it very much.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the sketchbook stuff. Found some of the text passages a little tedious, but most were interesting.

[Clay]

Great book on the works of Paul Pope by Paul Pope.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the years of a person's life they might, if they're lucky, meet one of those odd individuals who are just... different. This is that person in the playground who comes up with new rules for how to play games everyone else thought they knew how to play. This is that person who allows takes a different route home everyday. This is that person who never says hello, but is always cheerful. This is that person who you just can't seem to connect with you. This is that person who just sits at the table, looking out the window and who is completely comfortable with silence. These people dance to a rhythm that only they can feel. These people solve mathematical equations without being able to explain how they did it, what steps they took to reach the answer. Often such people are looked upon as being malfunctioning, but are instead hyper-functioning. Maybe the world moves too slowly for them, maybe it moves to fast. Maybe they just seem to be from another time: perhaps they belong in the past or in some distant undreamed of future. Whatever they just seem to be slightly out of phase with the rest of the world.
Paul Pope is like that. He seems both to have been lifted from some antiquated ancient epoch and from some future that is beyond our comprehension. Some weird juxtaposition of temporal anomalies has put him in this time and compelled him to create. And create he does.
This book is both a retrospective of his art and a how-to glimpse of the creative process. This book is both a memoir of an artists thoughts and a treasure house of personal drawings. This book is both public and pubic. It defies easy description because as soon as you begin to define it, it metamorphoses into something else.
Having gone back and re-read some of Pope earlier work, I found myself drawn back into this volume and thus back into a fragmented version of Pope's psyche. It's an intimidating place, but it's as frightening as it is inviting. This is the enigma of the artist and it is an enigma that grows the more you learn.
Pope's art and stories can be simultaneously childish and sophisticated. They have a huge range of complex layers but are often unexpectedly simplistic. It is this dichotomy that I find so fascinating and intriguing when I find myself in one of Pope's stories. There is nothing strange here, and yet everything single thing is oddly unfamiliar.
It's like when you meet someone for the first time and you feel like you've known them your entire life. Or when you're talking with an old friend and you suddenly realize that what they're saying is completely incongruous with everything you thought you knew about them.
This book is filled with images and essays that are often extremely personal but are often touching on universal truths. This is the terrain of Pope's work and his genius at making the real seem surreal and the unimaginable seem ordinary. Much of this book contains material that had never been printed or released to the public before and it offers a unique insight into the life and texture of an artist.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh-my-golly! This book is awesome! Not only does Pulp Hope contain original art, but it also includes crisp essays from Mr. Pope: the first time he saw manga, his creative-process, and the intersection between erotica, porn, and aesthetics. And throughout, to my delight, Pope's voice is immediate, inclusive, and smart. But really, I didn't buy this for the words. Pulp Hope is crammed with full-color, full-panel, and full-imagination panels, one-shots, posters, on of which is a pull-out. Pope includes some really intriguing portraits, too—included are the White Stripes and another page with Nick Cave. Really, the book is full of wonderful things, too much for me to compile a list. The great essayist William Hazlitt once spoke of a requirement of good art: that it must have "gusto." Pope's collection not only has gusto in spades, but is gutsy too. There's a lot of adventure in his line-work, pacing, and composition, and I am truly glad to go along for the ride.

[Kendrawesome · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is equal parts artbook and essays; Pope covers topics relating to art from his influences, methods, and opinions on porn. I really enjoyed reading what he had to say, and if you love his art then you're in for a wild ride. Unfortunately, some of the art hasn't been reproduced well and ended up quite pixellated, which I'm taking to deducing that these drawings were small to begin with. Still, a nice artbook and a surprisingly thought-provoking read if you are an artist or interested in sequential art.

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great overview of Paul Pope's work up to 2007. The large pages do a good job of showing off Pope's brilliantly coloured works. Another great thing about this book is that you discover that Pope is not only a great artist, but also a great writer. He writes on a wide variety of topics outside of the typical discussions of Jack Kirby that many other comics artists fall into. His ideas gave me a lot of inspiration and made me think of art on a different level than the purely technical. I highly recommend this to all artists.

[Juju · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Pope is my favorite graphic artist. The images he splashes onto pages are a fashionable package of musical immersion in imagination, world art history and the excitement of being alive. His work is an energetic fusion of fun and sexy philosophical adventure. This Graphic Album of his freelance material is an exciting peek at his creative process and the wide range of his creative interests. This is the kind of rock n' roll book that gets better the more you dip into it.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply gorgeous work from a graphic destroyer. I recommend this along with his books 100% and Batman: Year 100. This is a window into the process that created them and his other work and I thankful to have it.

[kkurtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Pope is one of the most amazing & uniquely talented graphic artists working today. Anyone who has seen his graphic novels THB, 100% or Batman: Year One Hundred can attest to that. This book collects both published & unpublished work & is
a veritable feast for the eyes.

[Juliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really nice printing. It could have had more to it. It could have looked less like a reason to make more money and more like a passionate artist wanting to show you more. It's good to refer to if you work with ink.

[Wess · Rating 5 out of 5]

It goes without saying that Pope's art is amazing. His essay's were intriguing and contained a lot more personal subject matter than I anticipated, which proved to make the book more engrossing. My only complaint is that Pope name drops a lot, but not enough to really make me dislike his writing.

[Darrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

gorgeous art book with dense essay articles by the author

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of essays and art will inspire you every time you pick it up.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most favorite art books! Tons of unpublished and rare Paul Pope artwork and essays by the man himself, very inspiring stuff.

[Zanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

29.95